Scottish Executive

Crime

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what proportion of those proceeded against for the offence of vandalism in each of the last five years were aged (a) under 16, (b) 16 to 17 and (c) 18 to 20 years.

Dr Richard Simpson: The available information is given in the following table. Summary statistics for court proceedings in 2001 are expected to be published later this year.

  Persons Proceeded Against for Vandalism1 in Scotland 1996-2000

  


Age 
  

Number 
  

Percentage of all Persons Proceeded Against 
  2




Year 
  

Year 
  



1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Under 16 
  

 5 
  

 3 
  

 9 
  

 7 
  

 1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



16 to 17 
  

 829 
  

 825 
  

 777 
  

 717 
  

 620 
  

14 
  

15 
  

16 
  

16 
  

14 
  



18 to 20 
  

 1,398 
  

 1,333 
  

 1,209 
  

 1,236 
  

 1,221 
  

24 
  

24 
  

25 
  

28 
  

28 
  



21 and Over 
  

 3,537 
  

 3,318 
  

 2,944 
  

 2,492 
  

 2,535 
  

61 
  

61 
  

60 
  

56 
  

58 
  



Total 
  

 5,769 
  

 5,479 
  

 4,939 
  

 4,452 
  

 4,377 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  

100 
  



  Notes:

  1. Main crime.

  2. Figures may not add to 100 because of rounding.

Diligence

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish an analysis of responses to the consultation paper on the review of the law of diligence, Enforcement of Civil Obligations in Scotland .

Mr Jim Wallace: Independent consultants carried out the analysis of the responses to this consultation paper and I have today placed the analysis report in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. The report will also be available on the Scottish Executive website.

  Sixty-eight organisations and individuals, representing a wide variety of interests responded to the consultation. The proposals put forward in the paper were, as a whole, extremely well received and supported by those who responded. After considering the analysis, it is intended to bring forward legislation to implement wide-ranging reform of the enforcement system as a whole.

  I shall, however, be looking at the responses to one point of the consultation as a matter of urgency. This is the part that asks for views on how a statutory national debt arrangement scheme should be taken forward. The framework of the scheme, including power to make regulations, is contained in the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Bill currently before the Parliament. Now that an analysis of the responses is available, the Executive will be looking to bring forward regulations to implement the scheme as quickly as possible taking due account of the consultation results.

Education

Angus MacKay (Edinburgh South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been invested in (a) primary and (b) secondary school education in each year since 1996, expressed in (i) cash and (ii) real terms.

Nicol Stephen: Net revenue expenditure by local authorities on primary and secondary education is set out in the following table. 2000-01 is the latest financial year for which information is available.

  Net Revenue Expenditure (in £000s) by Local Authorities on Primary and Secondary Education.

  


Year 
  

Primary Education 
  

Secondary Education 
  



Cash Terms 
  

Real Terms
(at 2000-01 prices) 
  

Cash Terms 
  

Real Terms
(at 2000-01 prices) 
  



1996-97 
  

£843,943 
  

£935,807 
  

£952,848 
  

£1,056,568 
  



1997-98 
  

£849,940 
  

£914,249 
  

£948,911 
  

£1,020,709 
  



1998-99 
  

£888,312 
  

£929,977 
  

£997,212 
  

£1,043,985 
  



1999-2000 
  

£960,050 
  

£981,322 
  

£1,058,875 
  

£1,082,336 
  



2000-01 
  

£1,014,235 
  

£1,014,235 
  

£1,111,444 
  

£1,111,444 
  



  Notes:

  1. Information reported by local authorities to the Scottish Executive in annual Statistical returns (LFR1 Education).

  2. Figures include expenditure met from council tax, non-domestic rates and Revenue Support Grant.

  3. Figures exclude costs of home to school transport, school meals, education authority central administration costs, and loan and leasing charges (which are not divided between primary and secondary sectors).

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school with no qualifications in each year from 1992-93 to 1996-97, broken down by local authority area.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is given in the following publications published by the Scottish Executive Education Department, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre:

  


Title 
  

Date of Publication 
  

Table 
  

Page 
  

Bib. Number 
  



Scottish School Leavers and their Qualifications 1982-83 
  to 1992-93 
  

October 1994 
  

11 
  

12 
  

24858 
  



Scottish School Leavers and their Qualifications 1983-84 
  to 1993-94 
  

May 1995 
  

11 
  

13 
  

24859 
  



Scottish School Leavers and their Qualifications 1984-85 
  to 1994-95 
  

July 1996 
  

11 
  

13 
  

24860 
  



Scottish School Leavers and their Qualifications 1985-86 
  to 1995-96 
  

July 1997 
  

16 
  

18 
  

24861 
  



Scottish School Leavers and their Qualifications 1986-87 
  to 1996-97 
  

April 1998 
  

16 
  

18 
  

24862

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on schools offering pupils the opportunity to take A and AS level examinations as well as examinations offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Nicol Stephen: Our policy on flexibility and innovation within the school curriculum enables education authorities and schools to adopt the particular approaches to teaching and learning that best meets the needs of all pupils. It is for education authorities and schools themselves to consider whether to offer pupils the opportunity to take A and AS level examinations as well as those provided by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. However, in line with our guidance on flexibility and innovation, education authorities and schools wishing to do so would have to clearly identify the gains to pupils and ensure consistency with the National Priorities in Education. They would also have to undertake full consultation with stakeholders (including parents, teachers and pupils) and achieve consensus prior to implementing their proposals and ensure open and rigorous quality assurance arrangements are in place to monitor and evaluate the results of any changes.

Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it enforces section 2 of the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001.

Iain Gray: Section 2 of the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001 imposes a duty on Scottish ministers. No enforcement issues arise as a result of this section.

Europe

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it sent any representative to the meeting of representatives of European crime prevention institutions in Aalborg on 7 to 8 October 2002 and, if so, whether it will report on the results of the meeting.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive was represented at the European Crime Prevention Network Conference held under the Danish Presidency in Aalborg on 7 to 8 October 2002, as part of the Home Office contingent. A report on the conference and its outcomes is being prepared by the Danish Crime Prevention Council. Volume One – Presentations and Conclusions has been published and features on their website at www.crimprev.dk/eucpn . Volume Two – Best Practice Projects will be published soon on the same website.

Health

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans a review of the National Centre for Training and Education in Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Malcolm Chisholm: The review of the National Centre for Training and Education in Prosthetics and Orthotics falls due during 2002. Eglinton has been appointed to undertake the review.

  The terms of reference for the first stage of the review will be:

  "To carry out a study of the status of the National Centre and the relevance of its functions in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance and, having regard to the functions of the Centre to provide internationally renowned, high quality education and training to health care professionals and students of the rehabilitation professions, consider views on the centre and make recommendations as to any improvements required for future delivery of the service."

  As an essential part of the review process, Eglinton will be consulting widely with staff of the centre and with interested stakeholders.

Health and Safety

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures should be taken by funeral directors and their staff that have been infected by handling bodies where NHS staff have not communicated to them any potential risk of infection.

Malcolm Chisholm: This issue primarily relates to occupational health and safety, which is a reserved matter.

Higher Education

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received on whether an action of judicial review could be brought against Scottish ministers in respect of any failure to perform their obligations under section 2 of the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001 where a Budget Bill introduced into the Parliament does not include provision that the income arising from the graduate endowment for the financial year to which the bill relates be used for the purposes of student support and what order the court could make if such an action were successful.

Iain Gray: Whether legal advice is sought by, or provided to, ministers on any subject is a confidential matter.

Historic Buildings

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its proposal to abolish the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland and the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland, in light of the evidence taken by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee about lack of appropriate succession arrangements.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish Executive is considering the committee’s concerns on successor arrangements. We will seek further dialogue with the committee before Stage 2 of the Public Appointments and Public Bodies (Scotland) Bill to reach agreement on the best way forward.

Historic Buildings

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of underspend was in the Historic Buildings Repair Grants Scheme for 2001-02 and what the reason was for the underspend.

Dr Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The amount of grant awarded but unclaimed at the end of 2001-02 under the Historic Buildings Repair Grants Scheme was £2.9 million. This was due to projects failing to start on site on the date previously notified to Historic Scotland and to delays in the works programmes of projects already on site, all leading to a lower level of grant being claimed in the financial year.

Historic Buildings

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the underspend in the Historic Buildings Repair Grants Scheme in 2001-02, whether Historic Scotland has discouraged applications being made to the scheme until 2005 and, if so, what the reasons were for the position on the matter.

Dr Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His reply is as follows:

  No. Historic Scotland has never knowingly discouraged suitable applications from being made under the Historic Buildings Repair Grant Scheme. Previously, general advice was given to applicants on when their projects might gain a place in Historic Scotland’s forward programme in the light of the demand for these grants. This advice was intended to assist applicants to plan their fund raising and the preparation and submission of technical information. Such advice is now given on a case-by-case basis and updated as the application proceeds through various stages.

Historic Buildings

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a projected underspend in the Historic Buildings Repair Grants Scheme in 2002-03 and, if so, what that projection is and what the actual spend is to date, expressed in cash terms and as a percentage of the overall budget.

Dr Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  Against a total commitment of £12.7 million for the current year grantees are currently indicating to Historic Scotland that they intend to draw down £11.7 million (this is against a budget allocation of £11.1 million). In calculating this figure, Historic Scotland has used the information provided by grantees, or the relevant professional advisers, about the progress of work on site. However, from experience, Historic Scotland does not expect a full drawdown of this amount. The figure is updated monthly.

  The actual spend to 31 October 2002 expressed in cash terms is £4.45 million or 41.6% of the budget. In resource accounting terms, valuations amounting to £3.3 million (31%) have been received by the agency.

Historic Buildings

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the Historic Buildings Repair Grants Scheme in 2002-03 (a) has been committed in (i) grant awards in total and (ii) indicative offers of grant and (b) remains uncommitted.

Dr Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The position as at 31 October 2002 was as follows:

  

 

£ million 
  



Budget 
  

11.1 
  



Firm offers 
  

7.1 
  



Indicative authorisations 
  

2.3 
  



Pre-offer stage – uncommitted funds 
  

0.9 
  



Recurring expenditure 
  

2.4 
  



Total 
  

12.7

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many representations it has received about the future of Castle Tioram.

Dr Elaine Murray: Following the decision of Scottish ministers earlier this year to accept the reporter’s recommendation following a Public Local Inquiry not to grant scheduled monument consent for the restoration of Castle Tioram 66 representations have been received.

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions representatives of Historic Scotland met representatives of Castle Tioram before the recent public inquiry.

Dr Elaine Murray: Representatives of Historic Scotland met representatives of Castle Tioram on four occasions prior to the recent public inquiry.

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action Historic Scotland will take if the condition of Castle Tioram deteriorates to a point where its current physical form and interest is compromised.

Dr Elaine Murray: Under section 5 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, if it appears to Scottish ministers that any works are urgently necessary for the preservation of a scheduled monument, they may enter the site of the monument and execute those works after giving the owner and the occupier notice in writing of their intention to do so. Such powers would be exercised on behalf of Scottish ministers by Historic Scotland. There are currently no plans to exercise these powers in respect of Castle Tioram.

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the position of Historic Scotland is in respect of at what point any further deterioration in the condition of Castle Tioram will compromise the castle's current historic interest.

Dr Elaine Murray: In his report following the Public Local Inquiry the reporter found that the castle was inherently strong but concluded that without major consolidation work the risk of further collapse in five to 10 years was significant. Under section 5 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, if it appears to Scottish ministers that any works are urgently necessary for the preservation of a scheduled monument, they may enter the site of the monument and execute those works after giving the owner and the occupier notice in writing of their intention to do so. Such powers would be exercised on behalf of Scottish ministers by Historic Scotland. There are currently no plans to exercise these powers in respect of Castle Tioram but Scottish ministers would like to see all erosion arrested as any decay can compromise the cultural significance of a monument.

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether any further deterioration in the condition of Castle Tioram should be permitted.

Dr Elaine Murray: In his report following the Public Local Inquiry the reporter found that the castle was inherently strong but concluded that without major consolidation work the risk of further collapse in five to 10 years was significant. Under section 5 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, if it appears to Scottish ministers that any works are urgently necessary for the preservation of a scheduled monument, they may enter the site of the monument and execute those works after giving the owner and the occupier notice in writing of their intention to do so. Such powers would be exercised on behalf of Scottish ministers by Historic Scotland. There are currently no plans to exercise these powers in respect of Castle Tioram.

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct Historic Scotland to discuss long-term conservation measures with the current owners of Castle Tioram.

Dr Elaine Murray: The owners of Castle Tioram have lodged an appeal with the Court of Session on a point of law. However, officials in Historic Scotland would be happy to discuss long-term conservation measures with them if an approach was made.

Historic Buildings

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what Historic Scotland's strategy is for securing the conservation of Castle Tioram.

Dr Elaine Murray: In evidence to the Public Local Inquiry, Historic Scotland stated that it believed the appropriate conservation strategy was to secure it as a consolidated ruin and restore year-round public access.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) actual and (b) cumulative percentage increase from the 1997-98 level in rent charged by each local authority was in each of the five years from 1997-98, and what the (i) average and (ii) cumulative national increase was.

Ms Margaret Curran: The information requested is shown in the following tables:

  Local Authority Rents - Actual Percentage Increase

  

 

1997-98 to 
1998-99 
  

1998-99 to 
1999-2000 
  

1999-2000 to 2000-01 
  

2000-01 to 
2001-02 
  

2001-02 to 
2002-03 
  



Actual %
Increase 
  

Actual %
Increase 
  

Actual %
Increase 
  

Actual %
Increase 
  

Actual %
Increase 
  



Aberdeen City Council 
  

19 
  

0 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  



Aberdeenshire Council 
  

4 
  

3 
  

3 
  

6 
  

6 
  



Angus Council 
  

8 
  

5 
  

7 
  

10 
  

4 
  



Argyll and Bute Council 
  

2 
  

0 
  

3 
  

4 
  

4 
  



Clackmannanshire Council 
  

4 
  

3 
  

2 
  

8 
  

8 
  



Dumfries and Galloway Council 
  

0 
  

4 
  

3 
  

5 
  

5 
  



Dundee City Council 
  

4 
  

3 
  

2 
  

2 
  

4 
  



East Ayrshire Council 
  

6 
  

8 
  

12 
  

4 
  

4 
  



East Dunbartonshire Council 
  

3 
  

5 
  

7 
  

4 
  

5 
  



East Lothian Council 
  

4 
  

6 
  

3 
  

4 
  

3 
  



East Renfrewshire Council 
  

10 
  

5 
  

7 
  

3 
  

8 
  



Edinburgh Council, City of 
  

3 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

3 
  



Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan 
  

3 
  

3 
  

3 
  

5 
  

4 
  



Falkirk Council 
  

5 
  

4 
  

10 
  

5 
  

7 
  



Fife Council 
  

3 
  

5 
  

4 
  

3 
  

6 
  



Glasgow City Council 
  

7 
  

4 
  

4 
  

4 
  

2 
  



Highland Council 
  

5 
  

1 
  

3 
  

2 
  

3 
  



Inverclyde Council 
  

12 
  

4 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  



Midlothian Council 
  

9 
  

-1 
  

5 
  

9 
  

0 
  



Moray Council 
  

2 
  

3 
  

2 
  

3 
  

3 
  



North Ayrshire Council 
  

3 
  

0 
  

5 
  

1 
  

5 
  



North Lanarkshire Council 
  

6 
  

5 
  

7 
  

4 
  

4 
  



Orkney Islands Council 
  

2 
  

0 
  

1 
  

4 
  

3 
  



Perth and Kinross Council 
  

4 
  

3 
  

4 
  

4 
  

1 
  



Renfrewshire Council 
  

7 
  

4 
  

7 
  

0 
  

9 
  



Scottish Borders Council 
  

5 
  

3 
  

6 
  

4 
  

not available 
  



Shetland Islands Council 
  

8 
  

10 
  

7 
  

0 
  

5 
  



South Ayrshire Council 
  

5 
  

0 
  

1 
  

4 
  

4 
  



South Lanarkshire Council 
  

6 
  

2 
  

3 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Stirling Council 
  

0 
  

4 
  

4 
  

3 
  

2 
  



West Dunbartonshire Council 
  

3 
  

-1 
  

5 
  

5 
  

3 
  



West Lothian Council 
  

8 
  

0 
  

9 
  

3 
  

13 
  



Scotland 
  

6 
  

4 
  

3 
  

3 
  

4 
  



  Note:

  Rent information not collected for Scottish Borders in 2002-03 due to proposed housing stock transfer.

  Local Authority Rents - Actual Percentage Increase

  

 

Cumulative
% Increase 
  

Cumulative
% Increase 
  

Cumulative
% Increase 
  

Cumulative
% Increase 
  




from 1997-98 to 1999-2000 
  

from 1997-98 to 2000-01 
  

from 1997-98 to 2001-02 
  

from 1997-98 to 2002-03 
  




Aberdeen City Council 
  

19 
  

25 
  

29 
  

34 
  



Aberdeenshire Council 
  

7 
  

10 
  

15 
  

21 
  



Angus Council 
  

14 
  

20 
  

30 
  

35 
  



Argyll and Bute Council 
  

2 
  

6 
  

10 
  

14 
  



Clackmannanshire Council 
  

7 
  

9 
  

17 
  

24 
  



Dumfries and Galloway Council 
  

5 
  

7 
  

13 
  

17 
  



Dundee City Council 
  

6 
  

9 
  

11 
  

15 
  



East Ayrshire Council 
  

14 
  

26 
  

30 
  

34 
  



East Dunbartonshire Council 
  

7 
  

14 
  

18 
  

23 
  



East Lothian Council 
  

10 
  

13 
  

18 
  

21 
  



East Renfrewshire Council 
  

15 
  

21 
  

24 
  

32 
  



Edinburgh Council, City of 
  

3 
  

4 
  

4 
  

6 
  



Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan 
  

5 
  

8 
  

13 
  

17 
  



Falkirk Council 
  

9 
  

19 
  

24 
  

31 
  



Fife Council 
  

9 
  

13 
  

15 
  

21 
  



Glasgow City Council 
  

10 
  

14 
  

17 
  

20 
  



Highland Council 
  

6 
  

9 
  

11 
  

14 
  



Inverclyde Council 
  

16 
  

21 
  

26 
  

32 
  



Midlothian Council 
  

8 
  

13 
  

22 
  

23 
  



Moray Council 
  

5 
  

7 
  

11 
  

13 
  



North Ayrshire Council 
  

2 
  

8 
  

9 
  

14 
  



North Lanarkshire Council 
  

11 
  

18 
  

23 
  

27 
  



Orkney Islands Council 
  

2 
  

2 
  

7 
  

9 
  



Perth and Kinross Council 
  

7 
  

10 
  

15 
  

15 
  



Renfrewshire Council 
  

11 
  

18 
  

19 
  

28 
  



Scottish Borders Council 
  

7 
  

13 
  

17 
  

not available 
  



Shetland Islands Council 
  

18 
  

25 
  

25 
  

30 
  



South Ayrshire Council 
  

5 
  

6 
  

10 
  

14 
  



South Lanarkshire Council 
  

8 
  

11 
  

13 
  

15 
  



Stirling Council 
  

4 
  

9 
  

11 
  

14 
  



West Dunbartonshire Council 
  

3 
  

7 
  

12 
  

15 
  



West Lothian Council 
  

8 
  

17 
  

21 
  

33 
  



Scotland 
  

10 
  

13 
  

16 
  

21

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been carried out by its officials on the clauses applying to Scotland in the draft Extradition Bill relating to the European arrest warrant.

Dr Richard Simpson: My officials have been preparing appropriate amendments to the bill as a whole to ensure that the new legislative framework for extradition as proposed in the bill will operate satisfactorily in Scotland. This work covers those clauses which implement the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28031 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 August 2002, whether it has yet reached any conclusion on any implications for Scots law of the EU draft framework decision on combating corruption in the private sector.

Dr Richard Simpson: The EU draft framework decision on combating corruption in the private sector is still under discussion by member states. Should any implications for Scots law emerge, these will be highlighted in the usual way through the UK Government.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it gives to legislation on combating corruption in the private sector.

Dr Richard Simpson: Acts of active and passive bribery in the private sector are already criminal offences under Scots law. The Scottish Executive is considering reform of the law of corruption and will consult in due course.

Justice

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of offences committed by persons released on bail after release was in each of the last four years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Waiting Times

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cardiothoracic procedures were (a) completed and (b) performed on (i) NHS and (ii) private patients at each NHS cardiac centre in 2001-02; what the maximum capacity of each centre was, and whether there were any constraints in increasing capacity to reduce NHS waiting times.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of cardiothoracic procedures performed on NHS and private patients discharged from each of the four Adult Cardiac Centres in Scotland during the year ended 31 March 2002 is given in the following table.

  NHSScotland: Number of Cardiothoracic Procedures1 Performed on NHS and Private Patients2, by NHS Cardiac Centre in Scotland. Year Ended 31 March 2002P.

  


NHS Hospital 
  

Number of Procedures 
  



NHS Patients 
  

Private Patients 
  



Aberdeen Royal Infirmary 
  

1,751 
  

60 
  



Glasgow Royal Infirmary 
  

2,234 
  

- 
  



Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 
  

4,703 
  

122 
  



Western Infirmary/Gartnavel General Hospital 
  

2,429 
  

- 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Cardiothoracic specialties include: cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery.

  2. Scottish residents only.

  The planned development of cardiac services in Scotland is set out in the Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Strategy for Scotland, published on 3 October 2002. An additional £40 million is being made available to implement the strategy, and this will support achievement of the new waiting times targets. By 2004, the maximum wait for angiography will reduce from 12 weeks to eight weeks, and for cardiac surgery or angioplasty from 24 weeks to 18 weeks.

  Maximum capacity of the Adult Cardiac Centres in Scotland is dictated by a range of factors, notably availability of skilled staff including surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses. Under the CHD and Stroke Strategy, NHSScotland is pursuing a number of initiatives the effect of which will be to increase capacity and thus help to further reduce waiting times.

NHS Waiting Times

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for a heart operation in each NHS cardiac centre in 2001-02 for (a) NHS and (b) private patients.

Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting time for NHS patients admitted from the in-patient and day case waiting list and for private patients who had undergone heart operations, at each of the four adult cardiac centres, in the year ended 31 March 2002, are given in the following table.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for Heart Operations2 For NHS Patients1 and Private Patients, by NHS Cardiac Centre. Year Ended 31 March 2002P.

  


NHS Hospital 
  

Median Wait 
  



NHS Patients1


Private Patients 
  



Wait (days) 
  

No. of Patients 
  

Wait (days) 
  

No. of Patients 
  



Aberdeen Royal Infirmary 
  

75 
  

339 
  

14 
  

25 
  



Glasgow Royal Infirmary 
  

50 
  

675 
  

- 
  
 



Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 
  

76 
  

603 
  

24 
  

27 
  



Western Infirmary/Gartnavel General Hospital 
  

26 
  

816 
  

- 
  
 



Scotland 
  

50 
  

2,433 
  

21 
  

52 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Patients routinely admitted from the in-patient/day case waiting list.

  2. Patients are defined using operation codes taken from the Office of Population and Censuses and Surveys Classification of Surgical Operations and Procedures 4th revision (OPCS4). Heart Operations defined as OPCS4: K01-K15, K18-K34, K37 K48, K52-K55, K67-K71.

Pest Control

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to place a statutory requirement on local authorities to control foxes in their localities.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no such plans. Under existing legislation, it is open to both local authorities and property holders to take action to control urban foxes.

Police

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the level of financial support made available to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary given the increase in the number of asylum applications lodged at Stranraer over the last year.

Mr Jim Wallace: The general funding made available to Scottish police forces takes account of the wide range of policing functions which they undertake, and the methodology by which allocations are made between forces is reviewed from time to time. Forces also receive additional specific funding from the Scottish Executive to meet the costs of ports policing. That additional funding, which covers policing at both Stranraer and Cairnryan, has been the subject of a separate review which concluded earlier this year.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26496 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 July 2002, why the cost to it of non-domestic rates was not added to the cost per prisoner place of HM Prison Kilmarnock in the answer to question S1W-11438 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 January 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The question asked for the cost to be based on the cost of the contract. Non-domestic rates are not a contractual cost but are a separate obligation on SPS and were therefore not included.

  If the cost of rates had been included, this would not have had a material impact on the annual average cost per prisoner place.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners placed on remand before trial received a custodial sentence in each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available. Some prisoners are imprisoned frequently, for short periods and re-offend very shortly after release. It is therefore possible for a prisoner to be received into custody under sentence for offences committed before those for which they had last been remanded in custody. The available information therefore cannot identify how the offences for which a prisoner is serving a sentence relate to the charges for any previous period on remand.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28789 by Mr Jim Wallace on 13 September 2002, when it will publish its contracts with City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire councils for the provision of social work services in prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Except where disclosure of parts of the contract would not be in the public interest as specified in Part 11 of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, SPS will make arrangements to publish these contracts following discussions with the contractors and, once finalised, copies will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27013 by Mr Jim Wallace on 17 July 2002, when the errors in the answer to question S1W-26060 in connection with performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock were corrected; in what document the errors were corrected, and who was informed of the correction.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The error was acknowledged and corrected in the answer given to question S1W-26494 on 20 June 2002, which is in the public domain. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what developments of prison accommodation are currently planned for the next 10 years and what the planned design capacity is for each such development, giving an approximation where no exact figure is available.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30375 on 31 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any land has been transferred to the Scottish Prison Service in each of the last five years; if so, where, why and from whom the transfer was made, and what the value of the land was.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Yes, at HM Prison Low Moss. Details of this transfer are available in the SPS Annual Report and Accounts 1999-2000. (Note 7 to the accounts refers.)

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, for each prison, what (a) its total budget and (b) the underspend (i) was in each year since 1999-2000 and (ii) is projected to be in 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Total budgets for individual establishments do not exist. Expenditure relevant to a prison or prisons is spent locally or centrally according to circumstances and is not disaggregated.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29770 by Mr Jim Wallace on 18 October 2002, whether it will publish any of the contracts for provision of education services in prisons and, if so, which specific contracts it will publish, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Except where disclosure of parts of the contract would not be in the public interest as specified in Part 11 of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, the SPS will make arrangements to publish these contracts following discussions with the contractors and, once finalised, copies will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29901 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 October 2002, what the location was of each parcel of land sold shown in the table.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  


Location 
  

Number 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

3 
  



Angus 
  

1 
  



Falkirk 
  

4 
  



Inverclyde 
  

1

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30092 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 October 2002, whether it will give full details of the notice it received under paragraph 6.8 of the Minute of Agreement Between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock as requested in question S1W-28728.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The content of the notice is regarded as commercially confidential information.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought to discover what element of the cost saving asserted for private prisons by PricewaterhouseCoopers comes from (a) lower staff wage costs and (b) management efficiencies.

Mr Jim Wallace: Section 3 of the Financial Review of the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review describe the methodology used by PricewaterhouseCoopers to assess the cost of a private-build, private-operate prison based on historic data for the market prices of six similar prisons. Market prices do not separately identify staff costs and management efficiencies. Paragraphs 64 to 84 of the Scottish Executive’s Consultation on Future of the Scottish Prison Estate set out reasons for the cost differences between options.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement made by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice on 5 September 2002, whether it intends to appoint an adviser for the procurement of its proposed private-build, private-operate prison and what the projected cost of such an appointment would be.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  This procurement project is in its early stages and no such decisions or projections have yet been taken by SPS. Any decision to appoint advisers would take account of the need to provide value for public money and would be implemented through a competitive tendering exercise.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will show the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock broken down for each heading and by sub-section in sections 2.1(i), 2.2(a), 2.2(b), 2.4(a), 2.4(b), 2.4(c), 2.4(d) and 2.4(e) in Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock for each quarter of operation of the contract to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is given in the document (Bib. number 25002) a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28802 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 October 2002 in relation to the three disciplinary charges of possession of an unauthorised item that were incorrectly recorded as the disciplinary charge of holding a person against his will, what the unauthorised item was in each case.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  In one case, the item was a small quantity of coffee sachets, in another it was a small piece of cannabis. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to identify the item involved in the third case as the relevant paper work could not be located.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28802 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 October 2002, why the incorrect recording of the three disciplinary charges of possession of an unauthorised item as the disciplinary charge of holding a person against his will was not rectified before disciplinary records of prisons were placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Because the error was identified after the relevant documents were placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were transferred to HM Prison Kilmarnock from HM Prison (a) Barlinnie, (b) Greenock and (c) Edinburgh in each month from April to September 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  


Month 
  

Barlinnie 
  

Greenock 
  

Edinburgh 
  



April 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  



May 
  

7 
  

1 
  

0 
  



June 
  

3 
  

0 
  

1 
  



July 
  

3 
  

0 
  

4 
  



August 
  

1 
  

3 
  

2 
  



September 
  

14 
  

0 
  

0

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were transferred from (a) HM Prison Kilmarnock to other local prisons in Scotland and (b) other local prisons in Scotland to HM Prison Kilmarnock in the year to the end of September 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  (a) 155. (b) 114.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the formula shown in paragraph 6 of Schedule E to the Minute of Agreement Between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock , the value of the variable D is presently less than the sum of the variables Ga and Gb and what the ratio is of the variable D to the sum of the variables Ga and Gb.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This is commercially confidential information.

Prison Service

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the research commissioned by the Governor of HM Prison Low Moss comparing incidents in 2001 with incidents so far in 2002 will be made public.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  There has been no such research commissioned.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27655 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 October 2002, what the grounds were for each financial penalty incurred by Medacs and what the value of each such financial penalty was since the beginning of the contract.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The annual value of financial penalties imposed was provided in answer to question S1W-27655. The value of each individual penalty is commercially confidential. The data on performance specification will be made available when the Medacs contract is published in due course following discussion with the company.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27655 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 October 2002, what the proportion of the financial penalty incurred by Medacs was to the value of the contract for each financial year since the contract with Medacs was made.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The cost of the contract in each year is commercially confidential. It is therefore not possible to provide the proportion to that figure of the amounts given in reply to question S1W-27655.

Social Work

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that there is adequate provision of social work services in Glasgow to enable the children's panel system to operate effectively.

Cathy Jamieson: Glasgow will receive £975.3 million in total revenue grant this year. Of this, £4.21 million of unhypothecated grant has been allocated from the Children’s Services Development Fund and £3.2 million has been allocated from the Surestart programme.

  Glasgow will also shortly receive an additional £662,000 in-year as part of our £3 million investment in youth justice teams announced on 18 October. They will receive £2.19 million in 2003-04 to tackle youth crime through the Children's Services Development Fund, and will be able to bid for a share of an additional £5.5 million through the recently announced Intensive Support Fund to carry out a range of activities in this area between now and 2005-06.

Terrorism

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any specific representations to (a) the Council of the European Union, (b) any member or body of (i) the European Parliament and (ii) the Committee of the Regions and (c) the European Commission about the draft Council of the European Union decision on establishing a mechanism for evaluating the legal systems and their implementation at a national level in the fight against terrorism.

Dr Richard Simpson: Negotiations within the European Union on such issues are conducted by the UK Government, taking due account of the views of the devolved administrations.

  The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of EU-related issues, including discussions on justice and home affairs matters, and is represented as necessary at meetings in Brussels, whether at working groups of officials or at Councils at ministerial level.

Terrorism

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any specific representations to Her Majesty’s Government about the draft Council of the European Union decision on establishing a mechanism for evaluating the legal systems and their implementation at a national level in the fight against terrorism.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of EU-related justice and home affairs issues. The UK Government leads in negotiations on these matters within the European Union taking due account of the views of the devolved administrations.

Terrorism

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of any impact of the draft Council of the European Union decision on establishing a mechanism for evaluating the legal systems and their implementation at a national level in the fight against terrorism will have on Scots law.

Dr Richard Simpson: Terrorism is reserved in terms of the Scotland Act 1998. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of EU-related justice and home affairs issues and is satisfied that the draft Council Decision will be a useful tool in assessing the overall response of individual EU member states to the terrorist threat.

Terrorism

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the draft Council of the European Union decision on establishing a mechanism for evaluating the legal systems and their implementation at a national level in the fight against terrorism

Dr Richard Simpson: Terrorism is reserved in terms of the Scotland Act 1998. The UK has comprehensive, national anti-terrorist legislation and an excellent record in implementing international counter-terrorist agreements. The UK Government has agreed the draft council decision, which has also been approved by the Justice and Home Affairs Council.

  There are no implications separately for Scotland.

Correction

The reply to question S1W-30079, which was originally answered on 16 October 2002, has been corrected: see page 2121.